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For the first time in many months, security forces in Iraq arrested one of the shooters towards protesters, after Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi emphasized his commitment to protect protesters in the country, and emphasized that he will hold accountable to those involved in their assault.
In the details, security forces on Monday announced the arrest of at least five armed men affiliated with the Vengeance Movement (a local party), after they killed a person by shooting protesters in front of their headquarters in the city of Basra in southern Iraq.
Live bullets from the headquarters of “The Revenge of God”
On Sunday night, protesters gathered outside the headquarters of the “God’s Revenge” movement in Basra to renew their demands for political reforms and change the ruling class, which they accuse of corruption.
Live gunshots from inside the headquarters fired live bullets at protesters, killing a 20-year-old protester, who was shot in the head, according to medical sources and witnesses.
Hours later, a security force stormed the movement’s headquarters, one kilometer from the main protest square in Basra.
Nasiriyah – France Press
“Suspicious” armed party
It should be noted that the Vengeance Party (armed) was established in 1995, and its Secretary General Youssef Sennawi participated in several parliamentary elections without obtaining seats, and during the years 2006 to 2008 he participated in military confrontations, and the local authorities accused him of obtaining state-owned automobiles, engaging in armed activities, and conducting At the Iraqi Ports Company and pushing foreign companies out of Iraqi ports.
And in 2008 Senawi joined the so-called quintet house consisting of the Supreme Council, the Badr Organization and the Sayyid al-Shuhada Organization.
He was then arrested during the era of the former prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, by a special force with three of his brothers, and sentenced to life in prison, but then mysteriously returned to the Iraqi scene, according to the Kurdish-Iraqi network Rudaw. He returned and ran in the 2018 elections, but did not win.
In addition, he accused Sinawi, who had previously attacked Iraqi protests in public statements, of killing protesters in several provinces, including Baghdad and Basra.
God’s vengeance move
Confiscation of arms and live ammunition.
For his part, al-Maliki’s spokesman for the Basra police said: “We arrested five people who opened fire on protesters from headquarters.” Security forces also confiscated live weapons and ammunition, which were found inside the headquarters, according to the spokesperson.
Limited protests against authorities resumed in some Iraqi cities on Sunday, and clashes between protesters and security forces ended, ending almost three months of relative calm days after the new Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kazemi, received the power. But internal political divisions, mounting tensions between the United States and Iran, and the ban imposed by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, effectively ended the movement in early 2020, despite the fact that several protesters remained in tents. campaign erected in protest areas across the country.
Other cities, including Kut, the capital of the Wasit governorate (southern Baghdad), also witnessed protests, during which protesters surrounded the house of the governor and his deputies, in the city center. Others also demonstrated in Samawah and Diwaniyah.
Baghdad – May 11, AFP
After the new Iraqi government led by Al-Kazemi reportedly pledged to free protesters who were arrested for their participation in the popular protests, which came out last October, the Supreme Judicial Council on Sunday demanded all courts who presented cases related to the protesters to free them.
Popular protests first started in Baghdad and the southern cities in October 2019, to demand the fight against corruption and unemployment and the change of the political class that has monopolized power for 17 years.
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